In many games of chance, a player selects, based upon an initial state of the game and its rules, a final state of the game that the player believes will be the winning state. For example, in a race among various contesting entries, the player, analyzing various subjective and objective criteria, selects what the player believes will be the overall winner or the final order of some or all of the entries.
In particular, in horse racing a bettor may place bets on one or more horses in any race wherein each horse has betting odds associated therewith. The odds determine the amount of money to be returned to the bettor per unit amount bet should such horse win the race. Typically, the bettor refers to a racing sheet to obtain subjective and objective information about each horse in the race to assist in the selection of bets. Selection of bets in any one race may include bets on each of long and short odds to minimize risk and maximize gain.